3 ms·
> One fifth is the most dangerous, angry, reactive, poisonous gas we know. Obviously you're utilizing hyperbole here, but I'm assuming you're referring to oxyg
by rckoepke 6y ago
> One fifth is the most dangerous, angry, reactive, poisonous gas we know.
Obviously you're utilizing hyperbole here, but I'm assuming you're referring to oxygen's oxidative potential (really "standard reduction potential"), but other gases have significantly higher reduction potentials than oxygen. Fluorine and Chlorine cause bigger, hotter fires at conditions that would generally be considered "non-flammable" if oxygen were involved instead. They also corrode/rust things faster than oxygen does.
Charts like [0] are misleading because they list the standard reduction potential of the monoatomic forms, which isn't realistic when most of these form diatomic gases (e.g. Cl2, O2, etc).
Both fluorine and chlorine gases are more oxidative than oxygen. Chlorine has electron affinity of -2.4 eV and while O2 is -0.4 eV.
0: https://www.angelo.edu/faculty/kboudrea/periodic/trends_electronegativity.htm https://www.angelo.edu/faculty/kboudrea/periodic/trends_elec...
- gorgoiler 6y agoIt would indeed be an even crazier planet where those gasses were part of the atmosphere and our lives! (Also, hyperbole clarified.)
- Reelin 6y ago> at conditions that would generally be considered "non-flammable" if oxygen were involved instead "Generally considered non-flammable" doesn't even begin to describe it. From (http://www.lateralscience.co.uk/Fluorine/Fluorine.html http://www.lateralscience.co.uk/Fluorine/Fluorine.html): > the problem was its collection and containment. Fluorine chemically reacts with just about everything, usually very vigorously. He fashioned collection vials from platinum, palladium and gold. All were destroyed. As to the GP: > > the most dangerous, angry, reactive, poisonous gas we know To continue the nitpicking, bear in mind that a gas is just one phase of matter for a particular chemical. What we're really after then is something from among the most reactive chemicals we know. I nominate dioxygen difluoride which will (for example) react with liquid methane at -180C. It's antics are summarized by Derek Lowe. (https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2010/02/23/things_i_wont_work_with_dioxygen_difluoride https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2010/02/23/th...)